The first time anyone in Ira’s family knew about his addiction was when he was arrested for possession, sales and transportation of drugs.
“I was handcuffed, and in that moment, I felt like I was falling out of an airplane with all these thoughts that all these years that I lived this very clever double life,” he says. “My son was 17. I had my friend bring him to the Santa Barbara County Jail. And on the telephones, like in the movies with the glass in between us, I told my son who I really was. . . He'd never seen me drunk, let alone knew that I ever used a drug."
In jail, Ira heard about the Mission. He applied and got in to our 12-month Residential Recovery Program. It was the best decision he could have made.
“It really helped me to understand that I had abandonment issues,” he says.
Being at the Mission also helped Ira connect to God in new ways and find a new trajectory for his life. He went back to school and earned his credentials as a drug and alcohol counselor. Over the last 16 years, Ira has helped to transform more lives than he can count.
Your Christmas gift today will help restore and transform more lives!
Think of the most challenging obstacles you’ve faced in your life so far. Now, think of what it took to overcome them.
I’m sure it was hard — grueling at times. It probably took different tactics and angles. And I know you didn’t do it alone. How do I know that? Because when we’re faced with the biggest challenges, none of us can get over them alone.
We need help.
We need each other.
We need Jesus.
Overcoming the trauma of hunger, homelessness, and addiction is difficult and painful, and it can’t be done alone. Lauren wouldn’t be where she is today if she’d had to do it on her own. There’s just no way.
The holiday season is our busiest time of the year. That means that together, we have the opportunity to change a lot of lives. I’d love to have you be a part of it!
Santa Barbara Rescue Mission
535 E. Yanonali Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
Phone: 805-966-1316
Fax: 805-966-7495
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